Audience: Teachers
Purpose: To propose lesson activity ideas for how you can use Dear Mr. Henshaw to teach writing.
Dear Mr. Henshaw is a book that students can relate to. They may or may not have a favorite author like Leigh does, but they all certainly have someone they look up to. They may or may not have experienced the life events that Leigh as, but chances are they know someone who has. Even on the surface level of relatability, this text can be used to engage students in the reading process. But what about the writing process? There is much to be said about this book and how it can be paired with a writing unit in the classroom. I will discuss three ways or strategies that teachers can implement this text in a writing curriculum, and they are: 1) Letter-Writing, 2) Journal-Writing, and 3) Story-Writing.
Letter-Writing
Leigh writes letters to his favorite author. We can draw on this point in the plot to encourage our students to do the same thing. We can have them pick a favorite author, playwright, cartoonist, movie director, etc. and have them write to them about their work like Leigh did. Or, perhaps, maybe our students do not have a favorite author, playwright, etc., so in that case we can have them write to any role model of their choice. This would require all steps of the writing process: pre-writing, as they would have to brainstorm who they wanted to write to and why, writing and figuring out exactly what they want to say to this person, editing, as they would be encouraged to pay attention to grammar, form, etc., publishing, as they would have to imagine they were really writing to this person and anticipating a response, and post-writing, which would require them to reflect on the whole process. There are many avenues that can be taken with this lesson idea, and a lot of ground can be covered. At the teacher's discretion, he or she could take the "grammar and form" route, the "letter writing format" route, the "publishing" route, the "reflecting upon role models and their influence in our lives" route, or really any route they choose. Having students focus their writing in a way that models a character's actions helps tie in other areas of ELA (like writing) to the actual text. This will help students make meaningful connections across the discipline so that they can internalize the skills they pick up in the text and in their writing. Having them write like Leigh did will help them connect to the text. In this way, they are putting themselves in the "reader-as-writer" position.
Journal-Writing
Leigh deals with some pretty serious things in his life. He is a child who is going through the ups and downs of his parents' divorce, and he has a lot to say about how it affects him and his life. We see that through the experience of writing to his favorite author, Leigh finds some comfort and solace. He is able to focus on a new thing, his writing, and that helps him cope. The classroom is a place where we want our students to feel safe and free to express themselves, and what better way for us as English teachers than to allow them to do this through writing. The idea I am now proposing is to have students journal throughout the reading process. Maybe some of them can relate to the experiences that Leigh goes through, from his parents divorce to his experience with the lunch thief. Maybe Leigh's experience makes them think about their own, and how they will deal with what's going on in their own lives. Or maybe some of them do not relate. Maybe some of our students have never met someone who is going through a divorce or maybe they just do not understand some of the things that Leigh talks about in Dear Mr. Henshaw. Whatever the case may be, our students are going to have questions and they are going to have a lot of thoughts in response to the texts we give them to read. So my proposal is to have them journal throughout the reading process (after all, Dear Mr. Henshaw is actually a collection of "journal" entries). In their journal, they can express whatever idea comes to mind as they read. Maybe they will choose to get personal with their journal and share some feelings in response to the content in the text. For example, a student who is also going through a divorce may choose to "tell their journal about it". Maybe they feel exactly the way Leigh does about their Dad's new family, or maybe they wish their parents' divorce was going as "smoothly" as Leigh's. Or maybe they wish they had a favorite author to befriend. Whatever the case may be, we can encourage our students to tell their journal, which is completely confidential, how they really feel. Or maybe some of our students just have questions. Maybe they do not understand something in the text or they want to know more about something. Their journal can also be a good place for them to write down ideas for further discussion. They can bring their journal to class and then when we discuss the book in class, they can refer to their journal and ask any questions they may have. It may also be a reference for further growth, development, and research as they explore the new ideas they discover in their reading. Either way, by giving them a chance to write free of judgment and critique, we are encouraging the writing process by just having them write.
Story-Writing
In the text, Leigh discovers that he too can be an author, just like Mr. Henshaw. What a great opportunity for us as teachers to encourage our students in the same way. Anyone can be an author, no matter how young or old, no matter how rich or poor. Leigh discovers that, and my next lesson idea will help our students discover that as well. We read them numerous poems, novels, short stories, essays, and anything else we can get our hands on. So, why not have them branch out a bit and try writing some of these things themselves? Having a creative writing workshop is a great way to have students get some hands-on experience with ELA. This will really put them in the position as "reader-as-writer" because we can show them that being a writer doesn't always look the way they may think it does. This workshop would require choices. Students would be able to have the choice of which type of literature they want to write, and we will show them examples of each type and have them practice each type. Throughout this workshop, while we are letting them explore the different types, they will also be learning a great deal. We can teach them about poetry and all it's forms and "rules". We can teach them about short stories and how they differ from something like an essay or a novel. We can teach them about writing style and voice, and when we finally "put the pen in their hand", they will be ready for whatever adventure they set out upon. This might be a good idea for a "final product" for a unit on Dear Mr. Henshaw: a way for students to put all the ideas they've gathered while reading together in one final product that is all their own. This would also be a great opportunity to teach them about publishing, as the teacher could actually provide publishing materials like a compilation of the class' work, or blank books for them to write and illustrate in, etc. The students can learn about being proud of their work and they can learn what it is to call a piece of art your very own. They can also learn about audience and why writing matters. Just like Leigh did in the book, this assignment will help our students become true authors.
Dear Mr. Henshaw
"Reader-as-Writer"
Audience: Teachers
Purpose: To propose lesson activity ideas for how you can use Dear Mr. Henshaw to teach writing.
Dear Mr. Henshaw is a book that students can relate to. They may or may not have a favorite author like Leigh does, but they all certainly have someone they look up to. They may or may not have experienced the life events that Leigh as, but chances are they know someone who has. Even on the surface level of relatability, this text can be used to engage students in the reading process. But what about the writing process? There is much to be said about this book and how it can be paired with a writing unit in the classroom. I will discuss three ways or strategies that teachers can implement this text in a writing curriculum, and they are: 1) Letter-Writing, 2) Journal-Writing, and 3) Story-Writing.
Letter-Writing
Leigh writes letters to his favorite author. We can draw on this point in the plot to encourage our students to do the same thing. We can have them pick a favorite author, playwright, cartoonist, movie director, etc. and have them write to them about their work like Leigh did. Or, perhaps, maybe our students do not have a favorite author, playwright, etc., so in that case we can have them write to any role model of their choice. This would require all steps of the writing process: pre-writing, as they would have to brainstorm who they wanted to write to and why, writing and figuring out exactly what they want to say to this person, editing, as they would be encouraged to pay attention to grammar, form, etc., publishing, as they would have to imagine they were really writing to this person and anticipating a response, and post-writing, which would require them to reflect on the whole process. There are many avenues that can be taken with this lesson idea, and a lot of ground can be covered. At the teacher's discretion, he or she could take the "grammar and form" route, the "letter writing format" route, the "publishing" route, the "reflecting upon role models and their influence in our lives" route, or really any route they choose. Having students focus their writing in a way that models a character's actions helps tie in other areas of ELA (like writing) to the actual text. This will help students make meaningful connections across the discipline so that they can internalize the skills they pick up in the text and in their writing. Having them write like Leigh did will help them connect to the text. In this way, they are putting themselves in the "reader-as-writer" position.
Journal-Writing
Leigh deals with some pretty serious things in his life. He is a child who is going through the ups and downs of his parents' divorce, and he has a lot to say about how it affects him and his life. We see that through the experience of writing to his favorite author, Leigh finds some comfort and solace. He is able to focus on a new thing, his writing, and that helps him cope. The classroom is a place where we want our students to feel safe and free to express themselves, and what better way for us as English teachers than to allow them to do this through writing. The idea I am now proposing is to have students journal throughout the reading process. Maybe some of them can relate to the experiences that Leigh goes through, from his parents divorce to his experience with the lunch thief. Maybe Leigh's experience makes them think about their own, and how they will deal with what's going on in their own lives. Or maybe some of them do not relate. Maybe some of our students have never met someone who is going through a divorce or maybe they just do not understand some of the things that Leigh talks about in Dear Mr. Henshaw. Whatever the case may be, our students are going to have questions and they are going to have a lot of thoughts in response to the texts we give them to read. So my proposal is to have them journal throughout the reading process (after all, Dear Mr. Henshaw is actually a collection of "journal" entries). In their journal, they can express whatever idea comes to mind as they read. Maybe they will choose to get personal with their journal and share some feelings in response to the content in the text. For example, a student who is also going through a divorce may choose to "tell their journal about it". Maybe they feel exactly the way Leigh does about their Dad's new family, or maybe they wish their parents' divorce was going as "smoothly" as Leigh's. Or maybe they wish they had a favorite author to befriend. Whatever the case may be, we can encourage our students to tell their journal, which is completely confidential, how they really feel. Or maybe some of our students just have questions. Maybe they do not understand something in the text or they want to know more about something. Their journal can also be a good place for them to write down ideas for further discussion. They can bring their journal to class and then when we discuss the book in class, they can refer to their journal and ask any questions they may have. It may also be a reference for further growth, development, and research as they explore the new ideas they discover in their reading. Either way, by giving them a chance to write free of judgment and critique, we are encouraging the writing process by just having them write.
Story-Writing
In the text, Leigh discovers that he too can be an author, just like Mr. Henshaw. What a great opportunity for us as teachers to encourage our students in the same way. Anyone can be an author, no matter how young or old, no matter how rich or poor. Leigh discovers that, and my next lesson idea will help our students discover that as well. We read them numerous poems, novels, short stories, essays, and anything else we can get our hands on. So, why not have them branch out a bit and try writing some of these things themselves? Having a creative writing workshop is a great way to have students get some hands-on experience with ELA. This will really put them in the position as "reader-as-writer" because we can show them that being a writer doesn't always look the way they may think it does. This workshop would require choices. Students would be able to have the choice of which type of literature they want to write, and we will show them examples of each type and have them practice each type. Throughout this workshop, while we are letting them explore the different types, they will also be learning a great deal. We can teach them about poetry and all it's forms and "rules". We can teach them about short stories and how they differ from something like an essay or a novel. We can teach them about writing style and voice, and when we finally "put the pen in their hand", they will be ready for whatever adventure they set out upon. This might be a good idea for a "final product" for a unit on Dear Mr. Henshaw: a way for students to put all the ideas they've gathered while reading together in one final product that is all their own. This would also be a great opportunity to teach them about publishing, as the teacher could actually provide publishing materials like a compilation of the class' work, or blank books for them to write and illustrate in, etc. The students can learn about being proud of their work and they can learn what it is to call a piece of art your very own. They can also learn about audience and why writing matters. Just like Leigh did in the book, this assignment will help our students become true authors.